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Lawmaker signs Secure America Act, pledges $38B for ICE and $26B for Border Patrol
Summary
At a Washington signing event the lawmaker signed the Secure America Act, saying it will fully fund the Department of Homeland Security through the end of his term and allocating $38 billion for ICE and $26 billion for Border Patrol; reporters pressed him on related claims about crime and immigration figures.
The lawmaker opened a public signing event saying he was “thrilled to sign the Secure America Act,” and described the measure as providing immediate, full funding for the Department of Homeland Security through the end of his term.
He said the bill allocates $38 billion to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and $26 billion to Border Patrol, and framed the funding as necessary to “give the heroes of ICE and Border Patrol the support and resources they need to defend our borders.” The lawmaker added that the funds would support domestic law enforcement investigations and work to “combat child exploitation.”
In his remarks he credited stepped-up enforcement with local crime reductions, saying repeat offenders were removed and citing declines in violent crime in several cities. He urged jurisdictions to end “cashless bail,” saying suspects were quickly released and reoffended. He also repeated counts and outcomes he said were achieved by his administration, including the removal of thousands of foreign nationals from a U.S. city and a large reduction in fentanyl flow across the border; these figures were presented as claims by the lawmaker during the event and were not cited to independent sources in the remarks.
Reporters at the event asked follow-up questions about how the funds will be used and what oversight will accompany the accelerated funding. The lawmaker responded with broad descriptions of enforcement priorities and said the funding would enable officials to remove “the most dangerous, unsafe, violent” individuals from the country and bolster border operations.
The lawmaker closed the event by praising members of Congress and administration officials who he said supported the bill. He directed criticism at congressional Democrats for earlier opposition to DHS funding, framing the vote as a matter of law and order.
The signing is a formal executive-event announcement of the lawmaker’s action to enact the Secure America Act; the text of the bill and any implementing guidance or appropriations language will determine precise obligations, timelines and reporting requirements.
